Home- College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
- Dr. Frank Freshour
College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
Dr. Frank Freshour
LB: How did you think that the College of Education was perceived when you arrived and over the years by the rest of the University?
FF: Well I don’t think the College of Education was thought of as being very rigorous or being a real strong college like most of the rest of the USF colleges. I don’t think they felt we were that strong. I think eventually we came to be recognized nationally as being one of the stronger colleges of education in the United States. Still, at the same time, I don’t think that we had the respect that we deserved from many of the other colleges, but that’s my perspective.
LB: What are the things you feel most proud of during your career in the College of Education?
FF: Well, that’s pretty easy I think my relationship with my students and that they were always coming back to talk with me. When they were my students, they had no hesitation about calling me at home when they had problems. After they got out into teaching they would still call and talk with me. I think that is probably the thing that I am most proud of.
LB: You were able to teach the students in reading in the classroom, but then also be with them in internships and follow through with their performance.
FF: That was one of the real struggles of our program because I liked being out in the schools. Not all the people in reading liked being out in schools. I would have students in class and I would be teaching them things in reading and then maybe the next day I would go out and I would be able to watch them trying out some of the things that I had asked them to do. I had a good relationship with the supervising teachers and I would tell them some of the things that were working on. Then I would tell them about the things that I‘d like for them to give the intern a chance to try out. So that was a real good tie in. It was very applicable and practical. It was not just theoretical like many people say, you got to the university and you learn theory and then you go out in the schools and then you learn what it’s all about, this was a good bridge I think.
LB: Do you have any favorite memories or stories that might be interested or might even be humorous that you experienced in the College?
FF: Well I have to mention John Follman one time. I still remember when I first came here, probably the first year groups would go out to lunch together. I had never met John Follman before. They were telling me about John and what a character he was. He was driving to lunch and so I got into the car and I got in the back seat and there was actually a hole in the floor board in his car. That was one of the first things that I remember. Beyond that, I have to stop and think quite a while. I’m sure that there are a lot of very interesting anecdotes, but that was one in particular.
LB: My favorite story of him is when he was walking on the little grass we had and President John Allen told him, “Young man, we don’t walk on the grass here,” and preceded to tell him how difficult it was to grow grass in Florida. If you could pass on a sentiment to future students in the College of Education, aspiring to become teachers what would that be?
FF: Well, as I said one of the things that was the strength of the College and you know I retired in 1996, so I don’t know what the strength of the colleges are today as things change very rapidly in these times. However, it was the strong relationship of students with faculty. They should feel very free to go to faculty with their problems, personal problems as well professional. I think that many times students don’t take advantage of relating to a drawing on the experience of the faculty. I think that would be the one thing I would suggest most to them.
LB: Technology came in during your career and over those years there was very rapid development of technology and computers. There were changes obviously how did you view those changes with technology, how did it effect you particular area of emphasis?
FF: Well, I’ll tell you how it affected me. I was here for more than thirty years. It helped speed up my retirement. In my case, I was just not willing to crank up to technology because I was going to retire in a year or two. The effort was so great that it just helped me ease out a little more quickly. So I guess that would be my thought on technology, because I did not really see while I was there the use of technology in the teaching of reading. It may be different now, I don’t know. It’s still teaching reading.
LB: You experienced the new College of Education building and that transformation of the College.
FF: I did. I was serving as department chair for Childhood Education as we got ready to move into the new building. Were you on the building planning committee?
LB: Yes, I was.